Transcript

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>> Facebook investors are once again running for cover. Shares of the world's largest social media company dropped Friday to a low not seen since March 2017. The stock, now plunging nearly 40% from an all time high hit just in July. The sell-off coming on the heels of a New York Times expose claiming to explain why Facebook executives were slow to respond to fake postings by Russian operatives on its platform leading up to the 2016 US elections.

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And then trying to limit the fallout by hiring a firm to put out dirt on competitors. Reuters' Tech Correspondent, Paresh Dave.>> The threat of regulation is really the biggest threat that's facing Facebook according to some financial analysts. And next to just user unease, about their security, their privacy on Facebook.

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And regulation means additional costs for Facebook, and we've seen Facebook's costs skyrocket. In part because they have been doing so much in terms of hiring people, building more technology to deal with the problem of moderating content on their services. And the threat of more regulation means more costs for Facebook and could continue to erode into those profits.

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>> Investors also worry that CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and COO Cheryl Sandberg have yet to get control of a scandal that has plagued the company, and the stock for most of this year. Facebook has pushed back at the allegations made in the New York Times report. On a conference call this week, Zuckerberg says he welcomes new US regulations, but judging from the bipartisan furor being aimed at Facebook-

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>> Your user agreement sucks.>> The regulatory crackdown coming his way could end up being harsher than he thinks.